Serious Eats / Lorena Masso
Why It Works
- A blend of árbol, guajillo, and habanero chiles produces a spicy, fruity sauce for the shrimp.
- Searing the butterflied shrimp shell-side down keeps them juicy, encourages even browning, and prevents them from curling.
Growing up, there weren’t many mainstays in my family’s dinner rotation. The dish camarones a la diabla—deviled shrimp—however, was my parents’ favorite, so it showed up at our table at least once a week. The dish is everything its name promises: plump shrimp seared until just browned, then coated in a fiery, glossy red sauce that begs to be scooped up with warm tortillas or spooned over a pile of rice. As a toddler, I couldn’t handle the heat, so my mom would omit the chiles for a mild version. These days, I happily a…
Serious Eats / Lorena Masso
Why It Works
- A blend of árbol, guajillo, and habanero chiles produces a spicy, fruity sauce for the shrimp.
- Searing the butterflied shrimp shell-side down keeps them juicy, encourages even browning, and prevents them from curling.
Growing up, there weren’t many mainstays in my family’s dinner rotation. The dish camarones a la diabla—deviled shrimp—however, was my parents’ favorite, so it showed up at our table at least once a week. The dish is everything its name promises: plump shrimp seared until just browned, then coated in a fiery, glossy red sauce that begs to be scooped up with warm tortillas or spooned over a pile of rice. As a toddler, I couldn’t handle the heat, so my mom would omit the chiles for a mild version. These days, I happily add as many chiles as my guests can handle. And since the dish comes together in under 30 minutes, it’s the weeknight dinner I often reach for when I want something fast but big on flavor.
Serious Eats / Lorena Masso
Camarones a la diabla is a dish enjoyed across Mexico, but it’s particularly popular in coastal states like Sinaloa, Veracruz, and Nayarit. As the name implies, it’s a dish that pulls no punches—it’s traditionally blisteringly hot, and a plate of it should leave you panting with a runny nose.
There’s no single “correct” recipe for camarones a la diabla; instead, cooks draw from a common pantry of ingredients. Dried and fresh chiles, tomatoes, tomatillos, ketchup, canned chipotles in adobo, and orange juice all make appearances in different versions. The sauce can range from deep crimson to bright orange, and its consistency varies just as widely—some versions resemble thick marinara, while others are more like a thin butter sauce.
Serious Eats / Lorena Masso
Camarones a la diabla is a dish enjoyed across Mexico, but it’s particularly popular in coastal states like Sinaloa, Veracruz, and Nayarit. As the name implies, it’s a dish that pulls no punches—it’s traditionally blisteringly hot, and a plate of it should leave you panting with a runny nose.
There’s no single “correct” recipe for camarones a la diabla; instead, cooks draw from a common pantry of ingredients. Dried and fresh chiles, tomatoes, tomatillos, ketchup, canned chipotles in adobo, and orange juice all make appearances in different versions. The sauce can range from deep crimson to bright orange, and its consistency varies just as widely—some versions resemble thick marinara, while others are more like a thin butter sauce.
Serious Eats / Lorena Masso
Keep Screen Awake
For the Sauce:
1 cup (240 ml) homemade chicken stock or store-bought low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons (30 ml) canned plain tomato sauce
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3 árbol chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
1 fresh habanero, stemmed
3 tablespoons (45 g) unsalted butter
1/2 small yellow onion (2 ounces; 56 g) thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
For the Shrimp:
1 pound (453 g) shell-on jumbo shrimp (16/20 or 21/25 count), butterflied
1 tablespoon (15 ml) canola oil
Kosher salt
Hot sauce, for serving
Lime wedges, for serving
Crusty bread or tortillas, for serving, optional
In a blender jar, combine chicken broth, tomato sauce, chicken bouillon powder, cumin, coriander, and árbol, guajillo, and habanero chiles. Blend on high until smooth, about 1 minute; set aside.
Serious Eats / Lorena Masso 1.
In a medium saucepan, heat butter over medium heat. Once bubbling, add onion and cook until softened, 5 minutes. Add garlic and blended sauce. Bring to a simmer and reduce until it has the consistency of ketchup, about 3 minutes. Salt to taste. Reduce heat to low to keep warm.
Serious Eats / Lorena Masso 1.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add butterflied shrimp, shell-side down, and season with salt. Cook until pink and lightly browned on the bottom, about 1 ½ minutes. Flip and cook until shrimp are opaque and just cooked through, 30 seconds.
Serious Eats / Lorena Masso 1.
Add prepared sauce to skillet with shrimp and toss to coat. Continue to cook over medium heat until the sauce is warmed through, 1 to 3 minutes. Serve with hot sauce, lime wedges, crusty bread, or tortillas.
Serious Eats / Lorena Masso
Special Equipment
Blender, medium saucepan, large skillet
Make-Ahead and Storage
Leftover camarones a la diabla can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 1420 | Calories |
| 45g | Fat |
| 215g | Carbs |
| 39g | Protein |
×
Nutrition Facts Servings: 2 Amount per serving Calories 1420 % Daily Value* 45g 58% Saturated Fat 16g 81% 50mg 17% 2024mg 88% 215g 78% Dietary Fiber 17g 59% Total Sugars 9g 39g Vitamin C 102mg 512% Calcium 212mg 16% Iron 14mg 78% Potassium 1021mg 22% *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)